miyakojimadan comments

I'm with Aly. Having millions of guns justified by a paranoia towards government is stupid.... and dangerous.

@ Black Sabbath

I won't get into a contest over who knows more about Thailand but... Hyperbole? Really? You don't have to take my word for it but maybe this website may help:

https://www.virtualtourist.com/1445238-1762417/Bangkok-Tips/the-monarchy

As it says in the second sentence, and I quote: "You will find pictures of the King adorning not just every public building but even holding pride of place in most private homes." Seems to be a bit more than one third, but who's counting.

I'm not sure what your erudite response has to do with the length of mourning that I was commenting on but hey, I certainly won't stand in the way of one's bloviation.

I will comment on one thing you said though. You said "I repeat, there are no opinion polls. Curious indeed." Not curious at all. Look at the lèse-majesté laws that you yourself mentioned, and I think it is clear why there are no opinion polls.

@ Jimizo

Have you ever been to Thailand? I've been there over 20 times now and I can tell you that, wherever you go, whatever little shop, or roadside stand, or restaurant, or store, or farmhouse or anywhere, there is a picture of this king hanging on the wall. I've never seen anyone so revered in all my life. I'm surprised it is only 1 year of mourning.

German Autobahn has NO speed limits

This isn't exactly true. There are sections of the autobahn that have speed limits. I watch Top Gear :)

Wow. Abe is in a complete state of denial.

I couldn't agree more with this article. These zombies need to be fined, and for repeat offenders...prosecution. If I can't drive my bicycle after having a couple of beers, how can they allowed to be the public nuisance they are?

No chime in those with the same ole red herring: all Americans are immigrants.

Well it's true. Whether you want to accept that fact is up to you.

The company had claimed the car traveled 180 kilometers (112 miles) on a single charge, but it actually went just 172 kilometers (107 miles) under government testing

Ok, but that is a very small discrepancy and that could be attributed to a whole bunch of different things ie. driving style, radio on or off etc.

The principal, whose name was not revealed

Why not? He isn't a juvenile so he has no protection from the scrutiny that goes along with committing the crime.

I found this page. It makes turning it off very easy.

http://qz.com/766536/a-step-by-step-guide-to-stop-facebook-from-using-your-whatsapp-data-to-target-ads/

A teacher applied emergency measures

What exactly were the emergency measures? If the Heimlich maneuver was performed properly, she shouldn't have died. Poor girl! RIP

“the boy was nothing but an obstacle (in their lives)”

People who kill their own children are the worst in society. And for this reason!!?? I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you do not absolutely adore children, don't have any!!!

Instead, they tout the DNC narrative about the evil racist Trump....

If the shoe fits, I guess you wear it... and in Drumfp's case, he wears it with pride.

Why do I have a feeling there is more important news in the world than this at the moment...

I have no sympathy WHATSOEVER with this hostess bar. And good on him. A Y137,000 bill for 1 evening in some dodgy hostess bar in Kyoto?

So should be apply this logic to everything that we feel is too expensive?

Good luck with that one Disney. Western companies have been suing Chinese companies for years over copying of everything from cars to handbags. And, every time those companies have lost their lawsuits. Chinese judges are not exactly known for being unbiased.

@TigersTokyoDome : Thank you for informing the uninformed. You saved me 5 minutes of typing.

More than half of online users get news from Facebook, YouTube and Twitter: study

More than half of online visitors are stupid, and getting more so by the day.

"umbrella altercation" I honestly don't think I have ever heard those two words used together. Something new every day on JT.

What is wrong with some people!!?

What IS going on with the weather this year?

Answer: El Nino

A total of 114 children under the age of five have fallen

That number is staggering to me.

Unfortunately for this boy, even if he is found, he will suffer from a sense of abandonment for the rest of his life. This feeling will effect all of his interpersonal relationships forever. It's not something I wish on anyone.

I'm curious if he underwent a lie detector test. I know Japanese police will use it drug cases so why not in a murder case?

Does anyone know if a failed lie detector test is considered to be only circumstantial evidence in Japan?

Damn! I was hoping we had seen the last of Becky.

Dress for the weather not the calendar!!!

It is because of stories like this, that I stopped driving a car in Japan many years ago. You have to be an owl, with your head on a swivel, to see all the possible idiots on foot and bicycles coming into the street, where they have no business being. The concept of "right-of-way" is non-existent here.

The driver of the car ALWAYS gets the blame.

Many of these old boys have a huge chip in their shoulder and seem to feel so entitled (to what, nobody knows)

I feel you on this one. Incidentally, I asked one of my students about this and he said that the people who are in their 60s and 70s feel that their hard work is what has made Japan what it is today. They are also upset at how the country is being taken down the tubes (in their opinion) by the younger generation. They may have a point here but it certainly doesn't require stealing straps from a subway to make your point.

@ Strangerland

Interesting proposal. I'm curious how you propose to deal with those who get pregnant without having first passed the test, or those who get pregnant and then fail the test. Or those who refuse to take it in the first place.

Here's how I would do it:

When a pregnant woman goes to her OBGYN for her first checkup, she should be enrolled in a course that teaches the basics of parenting, nutrition etc. If she refuses to take the course, she is cut off from government financial assistance until she does. If they fail the psychiatric test, a memo should be made and a report made to the appropriate agency and the case would be assigned to a case worker. That case worker would have the responsibility to follow up on a regular basis to ensure the mental issues of the mother do not endanger the child.

With the daily news barrage of parents killing their kids, I'm beginning to think that couples should have to go through psychiatric testing and a course in parenting before they should be allowed to have children. People need to take a driving course before they get a driver's license, why not the same for parenting?